Billie Joe Armstrong Is My Step-Father...and I Hate It

“What do you think is better?” I asked my mum, who looked up from the sofa. “This top with these jeans? Or this top with these jeans?”

I had never really wanted to get dressed up for anyone before. But I didn’t want Aiden to think I was some trampy kid. He looked older than me, so I wanted to look older too. Unlike when I was around Joey, where I felt like I could be myself around him... I pushed Joey out of my head, reminding myself he was going to be my step-brother. And step-siblings don’t love each other the way he thinks.

“Um... can I ask something?” Billie asked. I glared at him.

“No.”

“Why are you getting dressed up?” he asked anyway.

“Coz of Aiden” Joey said, nearly spitting out Aiden’s name.

“Aiden? Aiden Richie?” Billie asked. “As in the guy next door?”

“Who is this Aiden person?” mum asked, a smug smile crawling on her face.

“He’s the teenager that lives next to us” Jakob answered.

“He’s taking me around for a walk or something” I said, as if he just proposed to me. Mum raised an eyebrow.

“What’s he like?” she asked. Joey made a slight scoffing sound from where he sat, but he still didn’t avert his eyes from the t.v.

“He’s got a killer personality from what I’ve already seen” I said. “And he’s got an accent.”

“Yea, that Brooklyn kid, I know who it is now!” Billie grinned. “Damn, you scored good, Gracie.” Even Hollie gave him a confused look. “... What?”

“Well, I’m glad you have a friend already” mum said, smiling.

“So... this or this?” I asked, holding up the hopefuls of outfits in either hand.

“That top... with those jeans, I think” mum said, mixing the two outfits together.

“Alright, thanks” I grinned, running upstairs.

I changed quickly into more presentable clothes. I pulled on black skinny jeans with a long white t-shirt with splashes of neon colours on it and a black jacket. I pulled on my black converse. I looked alright clothes-wise. Then I did my hair. I considered culring it but that would just seem to... Jessica. So I just simply brushed it, giving it a few tweeks here and there.

“And all this for Aiden Richie?” I turned to see Billie Joe standing at the spare bedroom door, smirking slightly at me. I narrowed my eyes at him.

“What’s it to you?” I asked.

“You look nice” he said, smiling. I smiled back sarcastically before scowling at him. I didn’t even bother thanking him for it. That would mean giving him some form of pleasure. “I actually wanna tell you something about Aiden.”

“Oh, here we go” I muttered.

“I just hear he’s been... I dunno... beating a few girls around, y’know? Setting them up to knock them down” he said, sternly.

“Why should I believe you?” I asked. “Maybe it won’t be like that. Oh, but you’d know, wouldn’t you? I’m sure you done it plenty of times.”

“I just want you to be careful, Grace, he’s seventeen” Billie said, frowning ever so slightly. I raised an eyebrow.

“And? It’s only two years” I said, shrugging.

“Yea, but...” he sighed. “I was just gonna say-!”

“GRACE! Aiden’s here!” I heard Jake yell from downstairs.

“Coming!” I said, giving my hair one last tweek before walking past Billie. “I’m sure it will be fine, Billie. I have more self control than you.”

“Well, that’s go- wait a minute... what’s that supposed to mean?!”

Aiden was standing at the doorway when I reached the bottem of the stairs. He gave me a wide grin, and once again, I was putty in his hands. I smiled back at him. He was still wearing what he wore a few hours ago, his worn down jeans, white shirt and black leather jacket, with his trainers. I wanted to say hi, but he had completely wrenched my throat dry. So I merely kept smiling and walked over to him.

“Hey, you keep an eye on my little girl.” I turned to see Billie, smirking over at us two. HIS LITTLE GIRL?! That crossed so many lines. I decided to keep my cool around Aiden, but I gave him a scowl so cold, warning him that I’d get him later.

“No worries, Mr A” Aiden grinned, his Brooklyn accent sending sharp tingles down my spine. “I’ve got ya girl covered. No one’ll touch her, not when I’m around her.” I smiled, pleased with the comment he made. “Comin’, pretty lady?”

I started using the embarrasingly hysterical giggling, which I loathed. “Yea, of course I am.” From the corner of my eye, I saw Joey at the living room door, giving Aiden a glare that could even scare the dead. Then he disappeared into the room again.

Aiden walked me around the park twice. I was beginning to think it was all we could see here. I didn’t want to say that though. It might seem rude. Granted, if it were anyone else though, I wouldn’t hesitate... his hand lingered close to mine, almost like he wanted to hold it. He kept asking me questions about myself, but he was careful about what questions he asked. His chocolate brown eyes melted my insides when he looked at me. His hand twitched slightly closer after our third time around.

“You’re probably getting sick of the park, right?” he asked, laughing. I shrugged, wanting to agree with that comment. “Do you wanna get something to eat?”

“Depends, do you have money?” I asked. “Coz I’m broke.”

“Well... I haven’t got much, but it’ll be enough to get us some McDonalds” he said. “Unless you’re one of those girls who don’t eat...”

“No, I eat, I eat all the time” I said, before realizing how fucking jacked up that sounded. “W-wait...”

Aiden laughed. “Good. Coz then I can finally eat on a date.” I blinked. Date? I felt my insides tingle. Finally, he took my hand. Even if it was only to walk me across the road.

As we were eating, I thought it was the perfect oppurtunity to talk to him about his life.

“So, I was wondering, how long did you live in Brooklyn?” I asked.

“For about eleven years. Moved up here when I was eleven, so yea, eleven years” Aiden replied.

“What was it like?” I asked.

“Oh, y’know, traffic and what not, typical New York city” Aiden laughed. “You have a hint of an accent...”

“My dad was Irish” I said, looking into my soda.

“Billie is Irish?!”

“Wha- no, before him” I said.

“Ohhh yea. What happened to your other dad, divorce?”

“Actually, he died in a car accident...” I said, quietly. There was a silence.

“Oh... oh God, sorry” Aiden said, softly, placing a hand over mine.

“It’s alright” I said, smiling faintly. He laced his fingers with mine and my heart fluttered. It felt just like when Joey put his arm around me...

No. No, Joey CANNOT be in your head right now. Kick him out of your mind. He’s not welcome there anymore.

“Must’ve been a surprise when your mum said she was datin’ one of the biggest rockers out there” Aiden said, grinning. I shrugged, stirring my sauce with one of my fries. “I mean... you must’a been excited.” I shrugged again, still stirring it about. “Gracie? I think you’ve got enough sauce on it there.”

“O-oh... yea, right” I said, smiling faintly.

“You alright?” Aiden asked, looking concerned.

“It’s nothing, really” I said.

“You... you don’t like him, do you?” he asked. He was the first person other than Joey or Jake to guess that. I looked at him. I simply shrugged again.

“Well... he wasn’t exactly an angel when he was younger, was he?” I said.

“Oh... I thought you’d totally be thrilled or somethin’ like that... sorry” Aiden said. He smiled apologetically at me. I smiled back. It was hard not to smile at Aiden. He leaned over and stroked down a strand of my hair. “You’ve got nice hair.”

“Thanks” I said, giggling slightly. He tightened his hand around mine.

“But it’s true. And you have nice eyes” he commented. My smile grew. “I’m having a couple of friends over at about six. Wanna come over?”

“Couple of friends? Does that include Emily?” I asked.

“Yea. So, you up for it?” Aiden asked. “I have a feeling Don will like you. He’s a total ladies man but a dick as well, but I’ll protect you” he added, with a laugh.

“My hero” I said, placing a hand over my heart.

“Actually, your heart is on this side of your chest” he laughed, moving my hand over.

“Oh... right” I said, feeling incredibally stupid. He smiled never-the-less. “Um... anyway, yea, I’ll come over.”

“Aw, really? Awesome, everyone’ll love ya!” Aiden exclaimed, grinning madly.

A voice broke my thoughts. A familar voice.

“- and then she just ran off with Aiden. She doesn’t even know anything about the guy.”

“Oh God, how’d Joey find us?” I asked, daring myself to look back. He was with his band.

“Ha... cute, he’s with his band” Aiden said, smirking slightly.

“What’s so cute about that?” I asked.

“I just find it amusing how Joey is trying to follow in his dad’s path... you know if they’re any good?” Aiden asked.

“I’ve never heard them before” I confessed, tightening my hand around his in some form of late response.

“Hey, look, that’s creepy, there’s Grace over there” one of the boys (who, if my memory serves me right, was Travis) said, grinning at me. I tried looking away, but it didn’t seem to work. “Oh, you’re right, she is with Aiden.”

“Hey Joey” Aiden greeted, with a wide grin. Joey merely forced a badly faked smile back. Aiden grimanced at me. “What’s bitin’ his ass?”

“Dunno” I lied.

Much to my own despair, one of Joey’s idiotic band friends decided to sit with us. Aiden didn’t protest, but I could tell he was jsut as disappointed as I was. Two of them had to pull up chairs. Aiden started up the conversation about their band, but kept nodding and “hm”-ing absent mindedly. Joey kept his distance from Aiden though.

“- and we might be touring with Green day, but we dunno.”

“Really?” Aiden asked, raising his eyebrows but his expression was slightly bored. I didn’t blame him. They had been on about it for ages.

“Should we leave now?” I asked him, with pleading eyes telling him to say yes.

“Yea, we should probably get goin’ I have to meet some mates...” Aiden stood up and I stood up with him. “See you guys around.”

A collectives of good byes greeted him back.

“Bye Grace” Joey said, not even looking up from his food. I looked back at him.

“Yea... see you later, Joey” I said, following Aiden out of the fast food restaurant.